Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao (142-202) was Governor of Ji Province and Grand Administrator of Bohai during the Later Han dynasty. Yuan Shao was of the prestigious Yuan Family, and was the brother of Yuan Shu. He was responsible for the defeat of Dong Zhuo in 190 AD and constantly fought with Gongsun Zan in the 190s. He was defeated by Cao Cao, his former friend, at the Battle of Guan Du in 200, which ended his supremacy, and at the Battle of Cang Ting a year later, his fate was sealed. He died without having secured the succession of his sons.

Biography
Yuan Shao was born into an illustrious northern Chinese family that had power for three generations before him, holding the highest positions in the Imperial Court. As a youth, he indulged in hunting and music with Cao Cao, of the great Cao-Xiahou family. He rose to become the Grand Administrator of Bohai in his family's lands of He Bei, and fought Gongsun Zan over control of Ji Province. He was a diehard Han loyalist, so was keen on keeping the Han clear of usurpers; Yuan Shao and Zhang He quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184, and in 189, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao formed an alliance whose goal was to slay Dong Zhuo. After the death of Dong Zhuo in 192, the greatest period of tension, the 190s, began. Yuan Shao took over the lands and armies of Han Fu of Ji Province, and also fought against the Gongsun family of Qing Province. Yuan Shao scored a costly victory over Gongsun Zan at Jieqiao in 192 AD and also quelled the Black Mountain Bandits, Yellow Turbans, and Gongsun Zan's Forces at Chang Shan a year later.

Yuan Shao did not assist his brother Yuan Shu, who was in possession of the Imperial Seal since Sun Ce traded an army for the stamp in 195 AD in the Campaign for the Wu Territory. Instead, he coveted the seal, and persuaded Liu Biao to attack Sun Jian in 192 AD to gain control of the seal. Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang and Wen Chou to assist Liu Biao before personally joining the battle, and Sun Jian was killed. However, the seal fell into the hands of Sun Ce, his son, and Yuan Shao's attempt to assist Wang Lang and Yan Baihu in the Wu Territory failed. Yuan Shu eventually took possession of the seal when Sun Ce needed to borrow troops, and the seal was finally captured by Liu Bei when Yuan Shu was cut down. Liu Bei had to give it up to Cao Cao in 199 AD, and Cao Cao became Prime Minister.

That year, Yuan Shao came to the aid of Liu Bei against Cao Cao, as he needed an excuse to take down the greatest threat to his power. Yuan Shao's attempts to assist Liu Bei's Pei Rebellion failed and Liu Bei fled to Yuan Shao in 200 AD. That year, battle broke out with Cao Cao at Guandu, and at this battle, Yuan Shao's army of 200,000 troops was beaten by Cao Cao's 80,000; Guan Yu (ironically Liu Bei's sworn brother) slew Yuan Shao's generals Wen Chou and Yan Liang. Also, Yuan Shao suffered supply problems as he had a large force, and when Jia Xu raided the Wuchao supply depot, Yuan Shao's army was starved and they were defeated. After Guandu, Yuan Shao retreated and re-assembled an army, but at Cangting a year later, it was another defeat. His mouth gushed blood as he fell into the arms of his sons, and a year later, he died. His sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fought, while the middle son Yuan Xi stayed out.